It is well known in the photographic art to provide lens caps to protect camera lenses when not in use. In addition, sun shades have been used to protect the camera lens from ambient glare while pictures are being taken. Generally the sunshades are in the nature of a structure which extends from the lens of the camera and must be removed when the camera is stored away as in a camera carrying case. Lens caps are normally of a flat configuration but must be removed when a picture is taken. Prior art patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,909,107, and 3,715,149, have attempted to combine the sun shade and lens cap without substantially reducing the overall length of the sun shade. The device, therefore, has to be removed from the camera in order to place it in a carrying case.
Other prior art patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,525,768 and 2,093,237 have provided lens shades which are not satisfactory as lens caps. Moreover, such prior art devices are difficult to open and close so that they are inconvenient for rapid photographic use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combined camera lens cap and lens shade of simplified construction which may be left upon the lens of the camera when it is stored away and which nevertheless is capable of rapid adjustment from the lens cap position to the lens shade mode and back again.